Hunters
by Light1
Summary: A desperate hunter alone in the Silent Forest but poaching on a demons land cannot ever end well.


**Hunters**

**Disclaimer**: Castlevania belongs to konami not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Alucard . . . then he'd be mine.

**Rating**: PG-13

**Part**: one of one

**Authoress note**: Why mortal men should not hunt in the silent forest.

Italics = thoughts and flashbacks

~

I could smell blood.

I stopped and breathed deeply of the humid night air. The odour was faint but I could smell blood. My heart started to beat a little faster and I swallowed. Blood in this particular forest is a dangerous thing. Spilt blood here attracted the attention of creatures that no man would want to attract the attention of. But as well as danger it could also mean that I might be lucky, and that if I could only be fast enough then maybe this risk would be worth it.

I started to walk slowly, listening to the forest around me. I had laid traps here, in the forsaken forest. My brothers had called me mad and had claimed that I courted my death by doing so. But the 'safe' forest was too small, more of a wood than a forest, and the village had too many trappers and hunters. I have been laying traps there for days now with nothing to show for it. My wife hides herself from me now so that I do not see how thin she is becoming.

This place is dangerous and I am risking my life by even coming here but if I do not then we will starve. We've no pelts to sell and no meat to eat. We will all die if I do nothing, my wife, myself and my son. My son is too young to try and come with me and for that I am deeply grateful at least if i perish here then he will live on.

I continue onwards, still moving slowly and listening with as much care as I can muster. I had laid traps in the early morning when the dangers were few and my need for care had been low. But now I return in the evening when the dangers of the forest are greatest. But if I had come sooner then my traps would be empty. Predators are most active at this time because their prey is also. I breathe deeply again. The blood I smell could be from one of my traps for several are close, I am growing more hopeful with every step I take. The forest is dense at this time of year, midsummer can make even the silent forest seem welcoming. The scent of pollen is strong and it makes my eyes and throat tingle unpleasantly.

It does not take me long to recognise that I may be too late to retrieve what could be my trap. Tuffs of grey fur clumped on low branches and a wolf's prints litter the moss covered floor. Someone else has caught the scent of blood. I should not be surprised and I am not, but I am a disappointed. I consider turning back, leaving the wolf to what I strongly suspect is my prey. But there is only one set of tracks. The tracks are over large and the toes to long, they are werewolf tracks and it is odd to find one alone, unless it was a young male. Often young males will leave family groups to search out new packs of their own. I know I should turn back, but if it is just one... I keep walking despite the tracks. One werewolf is not enough to put me off. I have hunted werewolves before, I have seen them die and I know they are not immortal. I try not to remember that last when I saw one die it had fallen at the hands of myself and four other strong men.

I look up as the forest becomes darker. It is not yet moonrise, it is still evening, still early enough that I should be safe from the worst of the forest. The cause of the darkness is the trees not just the late hour. The summer trees are so overgrown that the branches interlock and make it almost like a floor above a floor. It is not that late yet. I keep going. The low branches around me are littered with fur; the wolf ahead of me is either moulting or elderly. I prey it is an old wolf and for a moment let myself fanaticise about returning home with both a meal and a rich pelt. My Clara would be overjoyed and maybe my bed would not be so cold. The smell of blood is getting stronger; perhaps my trap has caught something large. I cannot help my heart speeding up and my pace quickens.

But I am not so lost in my excitement so as to not notice when the paw prints under my booted feet change. They are suddenly much closer together, the wolf is slowing its pace. The prints are deeper as if it stopped completely. I can imagine the hulking beast pausing in its hunt, gapping jaws closing as it swallows, ears erect and twisting trying in vain to hear anything unusual. I am close now, right on the edge of the small clearing where I have hidden my trap. My reward and my fight are only meters away. I edge forward peering through the bushes, hoping to remain hidden.

Blood has covered the small patch of grass and earth in the clearing. The body in the centre of the clearing is larger than I could have hoped. It is a stag. It's leg caught in my trap, it must have been caught for a time as it has bled out since it became caught. I can see that the skin around it's trapped ankle is torn and bleeding. It must have struggled and torn a vein for it is long dead now.

The werewolf has preceded me into the clearing and is nosing at the corpse. It will start to eat it in a matter of moments, I must act now if I am going to. I look at the wolf, it's fur is patchy and dull, it's movements stiff. It is a very old wolf. Feeling confident I stand up in the bush I am hiding behind. The wolf hears me instantly and turns. It growls at me and I force myself to step forwards, drawing my short sword. The bow I carry is to unwieldy in close range fighting. But I am no fool, my short sword will not kill this creature, it will only wound it. But I have a pouch on my belt filled with trinkets to kill monsters, silver is in there as it holy water and salt.

"Stand down wolf. That is my kill." I bellow, pleased to hear my voice is not shaking despite the fact that my hands are. The wolf says nothing, it continues to growl and starts to pace. I swing my sword showing my strength to the elderly beast, hoping it will back down. "You are old Wolf monster, flee and I will not chase." I hope he flees. But the wolf shakes it's head, a horribly human gesture and I notice how thin the wolf is. It seems me and mine are not the only ones starving now.

I circle closer to the beast reminding myself that it is old, frail and starving, I am young, strong and starving. I have the upper hand, probably. I will win this fight. I will win and return home a hero and my bed will be warm. I swing my sword again, the wolf is closer now and the breeze as my sword sails past makes it's remaining fur ruffle. The wolf crouches, tensing to spring. I tense also. But then the wolf freezes.

"Something's here," The wolf speaks. I shiver, repulsed at the human sound coming from the animal's body.

"Yes wolf." I try to sound louder than the wolf. I pull my shoulders up and straighten my back hoping to look larger than I really am. "I am here and I am your death."

"Foolish mortal hunter." The grey wolf rears and look as if it will come crashing down on me. I freeze, I can see my death in his eyes and on his claws. This was a foolish thing to do, coming into the forest was poor judgement enough, but trailing and challenging a werewolf was insane. I scream and throw up my sword, waiting for the blow but something comes hurtling from the bushes. It is big and it is black. It moves too fast for me to see anything more. It throws itself at the wolf, it's leap grazing me and knocking me down. I roll until I find myself in a bush. I glance back over my shoulder no longer caring about the deer of the werewolf.

"God be praised." I breathe. The black creature is a man. He is tall, pale skinned and dressed in dark colours. He leaps at the grey wolf, I cannot see a weapon but he must wield one because the grey wolf yelps and snaps at him. The man rolls backwards and the grey wolf misses his attack. The old wolf is tiring quickly and the man is young, strong and remarkably fast. He lunges forwards knocking the old wolf back a step. His back is blocking my view but his attack must have hit hard, the wolf yelps and falls to the ground. It is sprawled and makes no attempt to rise up. The man walks to it and kneels. I stand and draw breath to shout a warning, he is to close, the wolf may be down but he can still bite. But before i can utter a sound the wolfs head is separated from it's shoulders. The man's blade must be sharp.

I watch has he stands and wipes his bloody hands onto his clothes. He looks at me and walks over. I swallow trying to wet my suddenly dry throat. I am a lover of women but even I can see that this man is beautiful.

"Thank you sir." I breath when he is close enough to hear me clearly. "Had it not been for your timely assistance I surely would have been dead or worse." He says nothing when he stops in front of me. he simply watches me for a moment before looking to the deer then back to me.

"That is yours?" he asks, his voice is deep and I find myself taking a step towards him. I physically stop myself and nod.

"For my family." I mutter. "But I will gladly share with one such as you."

"You would share with me?" He asks, his tone surprised, I nod.

"I owe you thanks. Come we will divide the deer." I walk to the deer and lift a leg to get a good look at the carcass. "Who are you?" I ask him.

"My name is of no consequence." He answers me, absently brushing silver fur from his clothing. "This is my home human." he looks at me his eyes red. "My home and you are robbing me." I freeze, my stomach knots and for a moment i cannot breathe. I take a proper look at the man who has saved me. He is tall, pale and he does not carry a sword or any weapon that I can see. My eyes start to burn as i recognise what I am seeing.

"Vampire!" I manage to choak out, he nods and smiles at me showing me that without a doubt he is what I have named him. Seeing him like that my body remembers how to run and I drop my grip on the deer and turn to flee. But my panic is what gets me killed. I trip over myself in the rush to be away. He finds my clumsy attempt at escape amusing, he laughs.

"Stop that." He chuckles as lying on the grass I snatch up my short sword. He rolls his eyes and sends a small well aimed spurt of flame directly at me. It does not touch my skin but catches my short sword and sends it flying out of my grip.

"You are going to kill me?" I ask, he shakes his head.

"You may have one more question mortal before you leave." He smiles at me and despite my fear I feel heat in my belly. I cannot believe my body would react in such a way, the devil truly gave this one terrible power.

"Very well, this is my last question before I leave your forest. Why did you save me from the werewolf?" I asked solemnly. He blinks at me for a few silent moments before his laughter comes again.

"Oh humanity, I love you." He manages to speak through his laughter. "This has been amusing and that was not something I expected."

"How is it amusing?" I am shaking again.

"My poor deluded mortal, I am laughing because you are so clearly confused." He smirks at me. "Firstly you think I'm letting you go, secondly you think I have saved you, I'm not sure which is causing me more mirth." He walked closer to me and i did not run.

"But the wolf . . . you . . . you." He reaches out and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"I eliminated my competition." He calmly explained before lunging forwards.

The end

Authoress note: short simple and rather pointless but I wrote it anyway. Please let me know what you think.

Please review.


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